Today, the Alexandria City Council unanimously approved the first Eco-City Alexandria Environmental Action Plan 2030, which consists of 48 goals, 50 preliminary targets, and 353 actions that span over the next 20 years. The Environmental Action Plan 2030 is the final planning document that outlines the goals and actions required to implement the vision of the Eco-City Environmental Charter (adopted June 2008).

The Environmental Action Plan is the latest accomplishment for the Eco-City Alexandria Initiative, developed through a partnership between the City of Alexandria, the Department of Transportation and Environmental Services, the City's Environmental Policy Commission and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University’s Urban Affairs & Planning. The goal of the initiative is to guide Alexandria towards a more sustainable environmental future. The goals of the Eco-City Alexandria Action Plan 2030 include:

• Reducing greenhouse gas (of Business as Usual) emissions by 10% below the 2012 level by 2012, 20% reduction below the 2005 level by 2020, and 80% reduction below the 2005 level by 2050
• Enhancing and building on the Green Building policy, which calls for new buildings to be carbon neutral by 2030
• Exceeding 35% diversion through increased waste reduction and reuse
• Twenty-five percent of the City’s energy usage from renewable energy sources by 2020
• Forty percent tree canopy coverage by 2020
• Ninety-five percent of Alexandria restaurants smoke-free by 2012 and 80% of the Alexandria workplaces, with more than 25 employees, smoke-free by 2020

Alexandria Mayor William D. Euille said, “The Environmental Action Plan 2030 is a culmination of hard work and dedication on the part of Vice Mayor Redella S. Del Pepper, Councilman Krupicka, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University’s Urban Affairs & Planning program, and the Environmental Policy Commission. With this plan, together we can move forward in building an environmentally sustainable City for all residents to enjoy for generations to come." ___________________________________________________________________________________________
For more information, contact Andrea Blackford, Communications Officer, at 703.746.3959 or andrea.blackford@alexandriava.gov